First injury report is a huge sigh of relief for Week 1 against the Chiefs
By Matt Sidney
If the Baltimore Ravens are going to legitimately challenge the Chiefs on Thursday night, they'll need to be healthy. While the Chiefs are favored in betting odds, the Ravens have the ability and talent to go to Kansas City and dampen the city's back-to-back Super Bowl high.
The Chiefs are about as menacing and intimidating as they come. They take the field this season looking for an unprecedented three Super Bowl titles in a row. They are the class of the NFL and everyone is trying to capture the magic Mahomes and company have conjured.
Beating the Chiefs will be no easy feat, but it becomes much less complicated when the Ravens are at full strength. The Ravens had some odd injuries leading up to the game with Mark Andrews and Tyler Linderbaum injured for undisclosed reasons. Luckily, they boys are back in black (and purple) and are gearing up for an epic showdown.
The injury report released by the Ravens on Monday has to bring a sigh of relief to fans and players.
Ravens come into Week 1 healthy and ready to roll
Two rookies, Rasheen Ali and Adissa Isaac, have been listed on the first injury report for the Ravens. These rookies are seen as potential depth pieces at this point in the season. Although it's never good to see anyone injured, there were concerns leading up to last week that star players could also be on the injury report.
All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum were up in the air as late as this past Labor Day Weekend. Andrews suffered an apparent injury during a not-too-serious car accident in mid-August. Linderbaum on the other hand, had an undisclosed injury which left fans and media to speculate.
The report brings a sigh of relief mainly because the Ravens need to be healthy to compete with the Chiefs. Andrews is one of the league's premier tight ends and is a major factor in the Ravens' offense. Linderbaum is the unquestioned leader of the interior offensive line and gives the Ravens a fighting chance against otherworldly defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Surely it's a frustrating announcement for Rasheen Ali, Adissa Isaac, and their family and fans, but things could have been much worse for the Ravens. While the two rookies watch from the sidelines, the stars will do their best to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Injuries happen all the time in the NFL. It's an unfortunate byproduct of a violent game. Fortunately for Baltimore fans, the "non-redemption tour" starts off on the right foot with all the star players healthy.
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